Empty! Strength for Service

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’"

 —John 20:19-23

The words were still echoing in their minds, “He is not here. He has risen!” What could that mean? The women reported seeing Him alive, but it couldn’t be true. Peter and John reported that the tomb was empty and the grave clothes were there. Mary told them she had seen the Lord and that Jesus told her that He had not yet ascended to God the Father. Confusion reigned. How could a man rise from the dead? That was impossible!

The events of the last three days still were swirling in their minds. Everything that they had worked for and hoped for was lost and buried in the tomb. Their Lord, Master, and Teacher was dead—or so they thought. The Jews had finally managed to get to Him, and because they were His closest associates they thought they were next. They needed to process and figure things out, so they met in the last place where they had been together with Jesus—the upper room with the doors locked tight, just in case the Jews came looking for them.

The stench of death had been so thick in the air, but with the testimony of the women and the empty grave clothes, the stirring surge of life and hope began to bloom. It was then that out of nowhere, Jesus appeared. He said, “Peace be with you.” Were they hallucinating? Was He an apparition? Perhaps it was a vision? Their questions hung in the air. But Jesus, noticing their astonishment, showed them His hands and His side. Apparitions and visions didn’t have flesh—much less bear the scars of torture Jesus had just gone through. But He was alive! Here He was! Standing right in front of them—alive! Fear gave way to joy at the sight of the marks, and He said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” Not only was He alive, but hope was alive! Jesus’ mission was not yet complete! He was the coming one! He was God’s anointed! Slowly everything began to make sense—all of the things He had told them about His suffering and death came true. It had to happen and He had known it! And He still had a task for them! As God the Father had sent Him, now He was sending them!

The task that Jesus had for the disciples was a divine one and required divine resources: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” The disciples needed power to go and speak to the nations, a power that could only come from God. They needed His Holy Spirit to equip them, strengthen them, give them wisdom, discernment and power. Jesus was victorious and His kingdom would be realized, but it would be up to the disciples, equipped and filled by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim it.

We all need that power to serve. God has promised that all who come to Him in faith receive His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). It is the Spirit who comforts (John 12:26; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), teaches (John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:13), speaks (Acts 8:29; 13:2), makes decisions (Acts 15:28), grieves over sin (Ephesians 4:30), overrules human actions (Acts 16:6-7), searches the deep things of God and knows the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), distributes spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11), interprets and brings prayer before the throne of the Father (Romans 8:26-27), assures believers of their adoption as God’s children (Romans 8:16), and who bears witness and glorifies Christ (John 15:26; 16:14).

We know that as believers we have the Spirit of God, but we are also to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), which occurs when we live our lives in obedience to Him and take in the things of God (e.g.., reading the Word, praying, fellowshipping with the saints of God, worshipping, attending church, etc.). How about you? Does your service need strengthening? Ask God to fill you with His Spirit and use you for His glory. The task to reach the world with the love of Christ is impossible to do by ourselves—we need God’s resources to accomplish God’s task so that His name might receive glory and we might receive joy. Amen.